Tel Aviv University survey indicates that only about 200,000 people, constituting about 2.5% of Israel's population, have been infected with the corona virus. • Most people do not develop symptoms

The State of Israel is still far from herd immunity - only about 2.5% of the population has been exposed to Corona. There are about 200,000 people who have been exposed to the virus, and most of them may not have developed symptoms at all. 

Reporter: Dana Pan Luzon // Photo: Gil Kramer // Edit: Sivan Schuster, Eden Barel

The data was found in a first-of-its-kind serological survey (antibody survey) on samples of 1,700 people from all over the country. The study was conducted by Tel Aviv University, in collaboration with MDA and the National Center for Disease Control at the Ministry of Health. 

The data was presented to the Office of Epidemiology in the Ministry of Health and the researchers' recommendation, given the low immunity rate - is to continue the existing restrictions to prevent an outbreak. Similar samples of populations in other countries of the world found a similar rate ranging from 1% to 6% exposed to the virus.

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"Serological tests give a cumulative picture of exposure to corona and also identify those who were exposed to the virus a few months ago. This is the most sensitive measure of the degree of exposure," explains Professor Danny Cohen, head of the School of Public Health at the Tel Aviv University Faculty of Medicine, and a member of the plague treatment team. The figure we received shows that we are far from herd immunity and until there is no active or passive vaccine should be very cautious at the population level.Corona needs a 60-50% exposure rate in the population, which gives some herd immunity and together with other preventative measures will reduce the virus's maturity to get around. 'In population'.

Higher adhesion rates were found in the 60-40 age group, where approximately 3.5% of the specimens were exposed to Corona. An excess of antibodies was found in the Jerusalem District (more than 3%) and a minority in the Haifa District (about 1%).

The data represent the cumulative exposure in the population by mid-April, and further tests will be conducted later this month and periodically.